Write a Memoir

She Had to Write Her Dad Before Writing About Family

June 6, 2023 by Lisa Tener

Writing about family can be tricky—and scary!

In a recent Get Your Writing Done session Marleise (not her real name) shared that she did some journaling during the first hour and found herself writing a letter to her dad. My first response (thankfully, I did not share it aloud) was, “Why aren’t you writing your book?” — silently judging her process.

I’ve been a coach long enough to know that was my inner critic blurting in my brain and I returned my attention to just listening as Marleise continued. “My father is an alcoholic, and I just needed to write to him about my childhood experience.

“I want to write about alcoholism, but I realized I couldn’t do that until I wrote it to him first. I’m not even sure I’ll send it. I knew I had to do this to free myself up for the other writing.”

Healing Instincts Free Us Up to Write

Family secrets are often the hardest to write about. We can feel the invisible chains and walls that fight to keep our secrets down in the dungeons of our psyches and keep us imprisoned by them, our creativity stifled, our life force diminished, our personal power on “low.”

Breaking those chains and walking through the prison doors is difficult.

And often, the first step is not to break the chains and walk out the door. Instead, it’s a smaller baby step. Maybe we start by digging a tunnel out of prison with a spoon from the dining hall—one tiny scoop of dirt at a time.

writing about my father — With my Dad, Martin Tener

Marleise’s instinct to write her dad is an empowering one. She described the freedom she felt in writing the letter. And interestingly, she may not even send it.

This is common—the need to address a person from the past in writing, but not necessarily in person. Just the act of writing can provide the liberation needed to write about family with ease and break through writer’s block.

What Happens When Writers Ignore Their Truth

My grandmother STella Andre — My grandmother, Stella Andre. It felt like breaking a taboo when I first wrote about her in a blog post.

I mentioned writer’s block, but there are other risks when we try to leap over or skirt around the full story, especially when writing about family.

In my experience as a book coach, I have found that when writers try to write one part of the story and leave out the uncomfortable parts, they end up with half a story. And readers can sense that. They’ll feel unsatisfied, frustrated, resentful or even angry.

That doesn’t mean you must publish everything, but I believe you must confront it all. Write even the parts that you won’t publish. There’s something about the process that imbues the finished product with total energy vs. leaving the reader feeling cheated or deceived.

Give a Heads Up to People in Your Memoir

Fifteen years ago I wrote a post when a client expressed concern that writing about family and publishing her memoir might hurt others. She knew her fears held her back, yet she also knew she didn’t want to cause harm. I suggested a five-step process, so she could be present with the full impact of her story and weigh what to include and what to, perhaps, leave out.

In another instance, I worked with an author who worried about how her family members might react to personal stories in her book. She offered to let her adult children and husband read the book and told them, “You can let me know if there’s something you’re uncomfortable with, but I can’t promise that I’ll take it out.” In this way, she retained artistic control and respected their need to know what was in the book before the world learned. There was nothing that painted them badly, but she knew they might feel uncomfortable about another relative’s fall from grace.

Having a plan for addressing family members ahead of time helped her overcome her fears, write her book proposal, get an agent, sign a book contract with a traditional publisher, write the book, get published and promote that book in the national media and even internationally.

Sharing your stories is no small thing. If you try to ignore the part of you that feels uncomfortable, you’re more likely to get stuck. Embrace the resistance by “going public” in small steps with people you trust.

Your Turn

If you’re writing a memoir or other personal story, especially one about family, or if that is even one aspect of your writing project, and you’re feeling stuck, consider whether there’s a healing step, some personal growth or healing you need to address in order to liberate your muse and turn the spigot on for creative flow.

What’s your experience with writing about family secrets or other verboten topics? How do you come to terms with the potential ramifications while also staying true to yourself and your story?

“If You’re Not Prepared to Write the Truth…”

November 19, 2019 by Lisa Tener

books: write the truth — Photo by Julia Joppien on Unsplash

Today, I spoke with a writer whose editor told her, “If you’re not prepared to write the truth, you shouldn’t write.”

On the one hand, there’s some powerful advice in there. If you’re hiding something, if you focus only on a pretty package with your writing, such hesitancy to dig deep and write the truth can dilute your writing or prevent you from writing powerfully.

However, in my experience, there’s another side to the issue. If you’re afraid that you have to tell everything, it can keep you from writing anything. Or just hold you back.

You may need a middle ground. Perhaps you can share the deep, dark, vulnerable truth about one experience, but leave out another.

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There can be room for nuance. If you give yourself permission up front to censor later, it may free you to write your most authentic and true writing, knowing that you can decide not to contain everything in the end.

Genre plays a role, too, in how much to reveal. Self help and how-to books leave the most room for omission. Memoir may require more experimentation to see what you can omit.

However, if you leave the decision making for later, and truly give yourself permission to write your truth, not only will you likely find more creative freedom, deeper expression and truer writing, you’ll likely find healing in the process as well.

My advice? Write the truth, then decide what to do with it.

What are your experiences about writing truth? What have you been telling yourself about the requirements of powerful writing? Is it true? Is there room to experiment? What feels most freeing to you?

Choosing How to Tell a Story: A Conversation with Mitch Albom

November 13, 2019 by Lisa Tener

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When it comes to telling a story, whether fiction or memoir, Mitch Albom is one of the most effective writers I know of. If you’ve ever read anything by him, you’ll know why it thrilled me to interview Mitch for Jewish Rhode Island. Mitch’s books have such heart and soul.

Mitch’s new memoir Finding Chika is one of those rare books that you finish and know that you will be carrying the characters—in this case real people—around in your heart for life.

I had so many questions for Mitch about his new memoir, Finding Chika: an Earthquake and the Making of a Family that it wouldn’t all fit in one blog post! So, here on my site you’ll learn about the writing process of the author of the bestselling memoir of all time (Tuesdays with Morrie), an author who’s sold over 40 million books worldwide to date! Mitch shared details about his process for how to tell a story, discovering the starting place, finding the voice for a particular book, and the thinking behind his writing decisions.

You’ll find the rest of my interview—about Chika’s influence on Mitch’s life, the role of faith in his journey and how to “revel in the funny business” in the midst of life’s biggest challenges—at the Jewish Rhode Island website.

“Tell Me My Story.”

Lisa Tener: Chika asks you to, “Tell me my story.” And then you start talking to her like a child and she interrupts to ask you not to speak to her like a child. What happened in that moment when your voice shifted?

Mitch Albom: I figured, she’s really in heaven now, as I believe she is. Language isn’t a barrier anymore and I also wanted to be able to tell the reader the story and not the way you might tell a six or seven year old. It made sense to shift: If you really can understand everything I’m saying, I’ll speak like a grownup.

On Finding the Voice

Lisa Tener: And how did it develop to tell a story in three distinct voices, to Chika, to the reader in the reading present, and to the reader but going back in time?

Mitch Albom: I felt that there are three parts to making a family member – you, me and us, us being what happens when you and me come together. I thought, as I shift between perspectives, I would call it you, me or us.

Lisa Tener: It’s hard to pull off three distinct voices or points of view, from the same narrator. Yet it seems seamless in your hands. Did that take a lot of work to place things or figure out which of the three voices it was in?

Mitch Albom: It wasn’t difficult. I could shift around to perspective. When I though it worked better addressing her in second person, I would do it that way. When it felt more historical, I’d tell it in the first person.

It’s a rhythm thing—the rhythm of the book, the rhythm of conversation.

Lisa Tener: So, telling the story this way was intuitive, organic.

Mitch Albom: Exactly.

“How Do I Tell This Story?”

Lisa Tener: Chika helped you slow down and see the miraculous in the ordinary. How did that impact you as a writer?

Mitch Albom: Well, at this stage in my career, I sort of know how I want to tell a story and the different ways I have at my disposal to tell a story. It’s more about, “Which method am I going to choose for this particular story?”

So it was , “How do I tell this story? What tone I want to take. Do I want to use flashbacks?”

I’ve written about a lot of themes of this book in my other books, like Tuesdays with Morrie– life and even death. But writing about a child, how a child talks, how a child looks, how to describe her, impressions, how to get across to readers how she sounded…it’s easier to play a video.

It’s hard to write about cuteness. Hard to write about how a child sings without just hearing it. I had to work on my writing skills about how to get a child across to a reader.

“I Had to Get Personal About My Own Story.”

Lisa Tener: It seems Chika is the heroine of this story; yet she is also a muse. Would you say you have an experience of a muse when you write each book?

Mitch Albom: No. This was a very distinct book—a conversation between sort of a father and his daughter. Though we were not father and daughter, it’s the closest thing I can relate it to.

I had to get personal about my own story. The way a father speaks to his daughter is different from how he speaks to a business associate or a friend over dinner.

This was a unique voice I had to settle into, and then let the world in on our conversation.

Lisa Tener: Chika directs you to write the book to her—to tell her story to her. Did that make it easier or harder to write? Is that how you started or is that something that developed later?

Mitch Albom: No I foolishly dove right into it. As I wrote in the book, I made myself physically sick towards the end. I thought I was having a stroke at times but I felt so anxious about getting the story right, it was causing panic attacks.

[bctt tweet=”Meet Mitch (and Chika’s Indomitable Spirit) #FindingChika” username=”LisaTener”]

Lisa Tener: Readers, after reading Finding Chika, I think you’ll agree that Mitch got the story JUST RIGHT.

I’ve loved many of Mitch’s books—Tuesdays with Morrie and The 5 People You Meet in Heaven are two of my favorite books. Finding Chika tops the list!

Read the rest of the interview at Jewish Rhode Island for Mitch’s deep sharing about what he learned from Chika and the other children at Have Faith Haiti orphanage, the role of humility in accepting our limitations, coming to terms with the adversity children sometimes face, and the ways his experiences with Chika and the other children have informed his faith and opened his heart.

Join Mitch Albom on November 21 at Temple Beth-El, Providence, an event hosted by Reading with Robin’s Robin Kall Homonoff. General admission tickets are $40 per person and include a book; VIP tickets ($100) include noshes, meeting the author, and a copy of Finding Chika.

All proceeds from the event, as well as all of the author’s proceeds from sales of Finding Chika, go to the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage in Port-au-Prince. So, buying a few extra copies as gifts makes it the ultimate gift that keeps giving!

Buy Tickets Here.

About Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom is a bestselling author, screenwriter, playwright and nationally syndicated columnist. The author of five consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers, his books have collectively sold more than forty million copies in forty-two languages worldwide. Tuesdays With Morrie, which spent four straight years atop the New York Times list, is now the bestselling memoir of all time. Four of Albom’s books, including Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day, and Have a Little Faith, have been made into highly acclaimed TV movies for ABC. Oprah Winfrey produced Tuesdays With Morrie, which claimed four Emmy awards including a best actor nod for Jack Lemmon in the lead role. Albom has founded six charities in and around Detroit, including the first-ever twenty-four-hour medical clinic for homeless children in America, and also operates an orphanage in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Albom lives with his wife, Janine, in metropolitan Detroit.

After Publishing a Book, What’s Next?

November 30, 2016 by Lisa Tener

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After publishing a book, it’s generally up to you, as the author, to reach readers and create the impact you dreamed of making. With a strong promotion plan, passion and consistent action steps, exciting opportunities can present themselves for a published author.

Some time ago I published an interview with Martha Rhodes about her self-publishing path for her memoir, 3,000 Pulses Later, how the New York Times featured the book in an article and the British government (National Healthcare System) brought Martha to speak in England and Wales for the rollout of TMS, the drugless treatment that saved her life.

So much more has transpired since then that I asked Martha for an update on what has happened since publishing her book.

Martha’s Marvelous Journey After Publishing a Book

Lisa: Martha, your book publishing journey continues! You recently won a prestigious national award. Can you tell us about that? How it came about and what it means?

Martha: I received the PM360 ELITE 2016 Award for Patient Advocacy because my book 3,000 Pulses Later has made me well known in the U.S. and Internationally as an author and advocate for Transcranial Magentic Stimulation (TMS) depression therapy. I work with patients not as a healthcare professional, but as a person with whom others with Treatment Resistant Major Depression can relate.

martha rhodes wins award Unbeknownst to me my name was submitted by someone in the neurostimulation industry who’s familiar with my book and the work I do. When I received notification that I was chosen from over 500 submissions I felt surprised and honored.

Since I spend several hours every month emailing and speaking with patients who need information and encouragement, receiving this award has inspired me to continue my role as a patient advocate.

Lisa: It’s well deserved recognition. You have helped so many people. And the follow up you do with people is a testament to your commitment to your readers and other people who suffer from depression, particularly drug-resistant depression.

Meeting the Man Whose Invention Saved Martha’s Life

Lisa: You’ve done some work with Emory University as the result of publishing your book, can you say more about that work and what it meant to you, personally?

Martha: Emory University’s Office of Technology Transfer asked me if I would participate as a patient in a program they created called, “Put a Face On It. martha travel ” The program is meant to convey the human side of how Emory’s technology helps others. They had read my book and felt I could appropriately tell my story of how this new depression technology has benefited me.

We created several videos and articles explaining the TMS patient experience and the value it has had on my life and can have for others who need an alternative therapy for depression.

Although publishing my memoir exposed my personal crisis in a public way that initially caused me some anxiety, working with the Emory University team has been validating and empowering. I feel more proud of my book and my patient advocacy than I could ever have imagined.

On a personal note, while I was at Emory doing the taping, I was introduced to the research doctor who invented the TMS technology device. When he walked into the room and I was told, “Martha, meet Dr. Charles (Chip) Epstein!”, without skipping a beat, I threw my arms around him and, through my tears, I thanked him for saving my life. It was a moment I think we’ll both always remember.

330px-ellen_degeneres_2011 — The Emory University TMS commercial aired during the Ellen Show, among other top shows.

Lisa: Wow. I bet Dr. Epstein felt similarly to the way you’ve felt when people say your book has helped save their lives! You’ve now been on commercials during the Ellen Show, Rachel Ray and the Today Show, among others. Can you share how that happened?

“I Saw You on TV”

Martha: I’ve become somewhat of a colleague to several people in the neurostimulation industry since my book came out. Now that I’m a TMS patient advocate, we rely on each other for feedback, updates, and mutual support. One of the TMS therapy system companies asked if I would be willing to do the commercial as an interview and mini-infomercial.

I had no idea of how wide the television reach could be, but after many friends and family contacted me with “I saw you on TV!”, I realize how important my participation is at all levels for spreading the word about this new depression therapy.

Lisa: Yes, you’ve reached so many people and affected so many lives, even well beyond your readership. I think part of what made that possible is how you’ve networked with others who serve the same audience, shared resources, been a real team player. And many of your opportunities came out of that.

The Greatest Reward of Publishing a Book

Lisa: I know you’ve sold over 6,000 books and counting. What is some of the most moving feedback you’ve heard from readers?

Martha: First of all, receiving any feedback from people for 3,000 Pulses Later came as a total surprise because I only wrote it so that others would know about the then-unpublicized alternative therapy that might work for them as it did for me. (At the time the book was the first and only first-hand patient account of what the TMS experience is like.)

Since then I’m absolutely amazed to have communicated with hundreds of people from across the United States and from as far away as Australia, South America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, India, and South Africa who have read my book!

Martha rhodes author after publishing a book — Martha Rhodes at Emory University

Whenever I deliver speeches either on a local level (libraries, civic organizations, hospitals) or in a larger forum (industry-wide meetings, webinars, and national conventions) unfailingly, people will line up afterward wanting to talk about their own or a family member’s experience with depression or suicide. The feedback for sharing my story always informs me of how prevalent depression is and how necessary it is to continue the conversation.

I receive emails from patients whose stories are nearly identical to mine, thanking me for having the courage to share my story in such a personal way and for helping them find some relief from the pain depression inflicts on them and their loved ones.

Emails and letters come from some who wish TMS had been available before their sibling, parent, or child committed suicide, others who are grateful TMS prevented such a tragedy. I hear from spouses whose marriages teetered on collapse because of depression, but thanks to TMS, they have mercifully been saved.

Ironically, these messages usually arrive just when I say to myself, “I can’t do this patient support work anymore!” because it’s time consuming and sometimes emotionally draining. But then there’s that one particular email that grabs me and pushes me to continue my work. So many of the feedback messages bring tears to my eyes and immeasurable hope to my heart.

Lisa: Wow. Like many authors, I think that speaks to how mission-driven your focus is.

Back to Writing and Publishing a Book

Lisa: Has anything else transpired that you’d like to share with our readers?

Martha: Yes! Depression and mental health have become an increasingly serious issue in today’s world. If you have a story to share about an important issue and a way to help others with similar problems—go for it! Write that memoir or self-help book and it will be your gift to the world on whatever level it reaches.

Martha Rhodes knew she wanted to self publish. She got quoted in the NY Times and other great publicity for her book.

I mentioned in an earlier question that the feedback I get is thanks for being courageous. Lisa, I still don’t get that I’m courageous, although it did take a lot of work and guts to complete 3,000 Pulses Later.

For myself, and I hope for your readers, the reward for sharing a powerful, relevant story is more about generosity of spirit. Putting thoughtful, truthful, heartfelt words onto paper and publishing a book that could help others is the best way I know to contribute to the world—generously.

Lisa: What a beautiful sentiment. I wholeheartedly agree!

Readers: You can read my first interview with Martha Rhodes here and learn more about how she wrote and published her book, and many of the exciting things that transpired when she published it.

Martha Rhodes, a former New York advertising executive and author of 3,000 Pulses Later: A Memoir of Surviving Depression Without Medication, has turned her career toward advocacy for patients seeking the alternative therapy for major depression called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). She is the recipient of the PM360 ELITE 2016 Award for Patient Advocacy and has been able to spread the word about TMS with speaking engagements and through the media such as television, radio, and published interviews. Martha attributes much of her book’s success to Lisa Tener’s Bring Your Book To Life® program [aw, shucks, Martha! You are so sweet to put that in your bio!]. She lives in Connecticut with her husband of 40 years and their rescue dog, Josie.

How to Write a Memoir: Answers to Your Questions from the Call

March 20, 2014 by Lisa Tener

Wow, we had a great call on how to get started writing a book on Tuesday. We received 224 comments and questions when people registered. So, as you might imagine, we hardly scratched the surfacing in answering in our 1 hour call. Over the next few weeks, I’ll answer as many questions as I can, grouped by topic. If you find your topic, but not your question, just ask as a comment below and I promise to answer. And feel free to ask new questions as they get sparked!

Stephany asked, “How to Start a Memoir?” Well, without knowing your story, I can’t completely guess, but let’s just say start with something that will grab your readers–one of the most dramatic moments in the book is a good spot–even if that means backing up and telling much of the book as flashback. Another option is to start somewhere that reveals quite a bit about one of the characters (perhaps you) and gets readers curious to know more. Specific and quirky details, a powerful “voice” and strong characterizations will all help draw readers in, Stephany.

David asked, “For biographical books… autobiography or novel? Pros and cons?” Kate and Carmen asked similar questions. We could spend an hour asking this alone, but here’s the short version:

1. Memoir is probably slightly easier to sell (and promote).

2. Novel is slightly harder to write (in general).

3. Novel will allow you to change anything you want so you are not so wedded to “the truth.” It can also protect people that might be more easily identified in a memoir.

4. A novel can protect you from a lawsuit, though there is no guarantee—run it by an attorney if you are concerned.

Hope that helps. Any of my writer/editor colleagues want to chime in on this one?

Rosa asked: “Can you talk about the process of writing the memoir…it is certainly not a linear process but every part of the story is powerful and necessary. Also, how to approach flashbacks when writing this type of work…Thank you.”
Rosa, It’s easier to write a story that’s fairly linear, but flashbacks can certainly add texture to the story. Here are a few tips:

1. Start at a point of drama: this will draw in your readers. You can start with a dramatic point for a few pages or a chapter and then go into the deeper past where you want to begin the telling of the story.

2. Don’t nest a flashback within another flashback or readers will get lost.

3. My colleague Stuart Horwitz once said something like, “You can have a flashback but don’t fall in love with the past so much that the reader loses the sense of the reading present.” So, most of the story should take place in the “linear” arena and the flashbacks should not get too long that the reader loses their sense of where they are.

4. Make sure that everything in the book supports the theme. If you’re writing about your spiritual journey, a story about your sister’s wedding that does not relate—no matter how funny or entertaining, for instance—may not fit well with the theme. Leave it for another book or a blog post. Don’t force something that doesn’t fit.

Please, share your questions below on how to write a memoir and I will answer. Other questions? Feel free to ask or wait until I get to that subject over the next couple weeks…

Missed the call? Listen here to Jump Start Your Book.

Holiday Giving Guide

December 17, 2012 by Lisa Tener

The past month has been marked by a flurry of publications by my clients and Bring Your Book to Life Program graduates. It seemed appropriate, then, to help spread the word while assisting with any of your last-minute gift-giving needs. Here is a list of practical, inspiring, entertaining and sometimes even life-changing books by these clients:

Self-Help

Manifest Your Man, by Stacy Corrigan

A great gift for single women or women seeking to improve their romantic relationship–the Manifest Your Man Companion Set features the book Manifest Your Man® – Unlock the Secret to Bring Love into Your Life and the Manifest Your Man®Guidebook – Your Step by Step Resource for Your Journey to Find Love for only $25! Cleck here to purchase. The physical book will arrive by mail and you can instantly download a copy of the guidebook.

The Creativity Cure: A Do-It-Yourself Prescription for Happiness, by Carrie Barron, MD and Alton Barron, MD

Th creativity cure cover e Creativity Cure is an innovative, highly achievable five-part plan to unleash happiness and alleviate depression and anxiety by tapping into your creative potential–a perfect gift for a friend who needs a boost. Surprising solutions are within reach as long as you know where to look. Purchase your copy here. You can connect further on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest

The Generosity Plan, by Kathy LeMay

Give someone the gift of Generosity this Holiday–a perfect way to empower them to become a change agent in 2013–or jump start your own philanthropic goals.

The Generosity Plan is for anyone who wants to lead a more meaningful life in the coming year. Learn to give of yourself and sincerely create the world you know is possible. Purchase your copy here.

The Compliment Quotient: Boost Your Spirits, Spark Your Relationships and Uplift the World, by Monica Strobel

The

Compliment Quotient reveals the secrets of the power of compliments– why and how the simple yet powerful habit of giving more compliments improves your own attitude, health and well-being as well as enhances all of your important relationships, including romance and parenting. This book is perfect for the busy mom or working person who wants a quick, practical tool to add to their own self-esteem and boost their feelings of connection while making a bigger positive difference. This profound and uplifting message is appreciated by women of all ages.

Visit http://www.complimentquotient.com to purchase a copy.

At the Compliment Quotient Store, you’ll find more unique, uplifting gifts including Compliment Charm Necklaces, Compliment A Day Cards set and Compliment Note cards. Folks love these gifts with a positive message that lives on long past the present being opened, for: friends, daughter, sister, mom, teacher, neighbor and more.

Use code LISAT and save 15% at the Store through Dec. 16.

The Sky is Green & The Grass is Blue, by Deb Scott

e inspired, turn things around, look at life differently, get great results in the business of living. Learn how to unwrap the hidden gift in every obstacle, and discover the amazing you. Start the New Year feeling awesome. Share this book and read it yourself, too.

Winner of 4 National Book Awards for best in Self-Help Indie Next Generation / New Non-Fiction USA Best Books / Self Improvement Moms Choice Awards / Motivation Best Books & Authors. Purchase your B&N copy here or Amazon here.

Also, check out The Best People We Know Radio Show with Host Deb Scott— now with over HALF A MILLION Listeners.

Fashion Feng Shui: The Power of Dressing with Intention, by Evana Maggiore

A perfect gift for anyone who would like to transform their look — and their Life, FASHION FENG SHUI: The Power of Dressing with Intention introduces readers to the groundbreaking concept of FASHION FENG SHUI, a holistic personal design system that applies feng shui principles to personal appearance. A comprehensive guide to making empowering and authentic clothing choices, this innovative book uses engaging case studies and color photos, to teach you how to choose clothes that fulfill your spirit, flatter your body’s coloring and shape, function for your lifestyle, and fortify you to attract your desires. Purhcase your copy here.

Feel Good Spaces: A Guide To Decorating Your Home for the Body, Mind and Spirit by Sherry Burton Ways

Is there someone on your list who needs a lift? Feel feel good spaces book cover Good Spaces was written with the stressed or depressed person in mind, who yearns for an environment that escapes them from their daily grind. This book can help your gift recipient create a home or office that rejuvenates the body, mind, and spirit to awaken positive energy.

“Everybody’s Feel Good Space will be different, but they will all have that ‘home’ feeling, and a feeling of warmth and acceptance for the person who inhabits it. The book makes a great gift for those who want to redecorate their homes to elevate mood and empower them to make healthy changes for their life,” says author Sherry Burton Ways.

Purchase your copy here or here.

Reinvent Your Life – Write Now, by Bonnie Leonard

Is someone on your list stuck at the midlife crossroads? Help them get

unstuck with this nine-week journaling program of well-tested writing exercises designed to unearth their own deep wisdom. Reinvent Your Life ~ Write Now arrives in their inbox weekly – simply download, print out and write your way forward into a more rewarding life. Why not buy now for yourself and your friend and begin your journaling adventure in the New Year? Perhaps you can share your writing experiences with each other or even form a group.

The Quantum Olympics: Human Beings Transforming to Live as W(holy) Beings in the 21st Century, by Holly Hutcher-Shamir and Terri StarkHave a friend of family member who seems to be on the cutting edge or thought and personal growth? Try THE QUANTUM OLYMPICSwhich supports wholistic living in the 21st Century. Readers will be empowered to make the decisions necessary to self-actualize their transformation to live as a W(holy) Being.The Quantum Olympics Performance Model Workbook, by Holly Hutcher-Shamir and Terri Stark

THE QUANTUM OLYMPICS PERFORMANCE MODEL WORKBOOK guides readers through decoding the mystery of their human architecture opening the ways to purposefully grab onto the “real life” readers want to live. The workbook contains all of the forms from the book in an 8 1/2 x 11 format providing you with more space to write, take notes, and formulate your individualized expression, dreams, and goals.

Buy the book on Amazon: The Quantum Olympics, The Quantum Olympics Performance Model Workbook or Barnes & Noble: The Quantum Olympics

The Art of Caregiving in Alzheimer’s Disease, Eric Pfeiffer, M.D.

Anyone on your holiday list with a parent or loved one with Altzheimer’s? Or are you the caregiver? This is an A to Z guide for family caregivers of Alzheimer’s Patients. Easy to read and easy to follow. Guaranteed to reduce caregiver stress. Purchase your copy here.

Winning Strategies for Successful Aging, Eric Pfeiffer, M.D.

A complete guide to all aspects of successful aging. For boomers as well as people who have already crossed into old age. Specific, detailed, inspirational recommendations. This book got a stellar review by Publisher’s Weekly. Published by Yale University Press. Purchase your copy here.

The Favorite Child, by Ellen Weber Libby, PhDA perfect book for those struggling with family dynamics, those of their current family or the family in which they grew-up. A well-written book offering useful insight in to the many factors effecting family dynamics.

The Favorite Child is available in either book or kindle format at amazon.com

Memoir

Dréa’s Dream: An Unfinished Dance by Susan Rizzo Vincent

Dréa’s Dream: An Unfinished Dance is an inspiring story of hope and a meaningful gift for any mother, daughter, dancer or parent looking for an inspiring story of how one woman continued to look deep within to find what is possible when faced with the seemingly impossible and in so doing, has made a difference that will impact children well into the future.

For parents who have actually lost a child, this book provides a guiding light and offers help to find a reason to go on when such tragedy strikes.There are many messages and life lessons within – dance, see the glass as half full, don’t drink and drive, live every day to the fullest, we all grieve differently, and rainbows … well, you will just have to read the book. Enjoy this uplifting story of triumph that begins with a moving foreword by actress Jane Seymour.

Visit www.SusanRizzoVincent.com for autographed copy at $14.95

Ellen Who? Story of a Secret Love Child, by E.O’Neill

I both surprised and moved by the twists and turns in Ellen’s story. In her early thirties, Ellen discovered what she never knew: she was not her father’s

daughter; her real identity a guarded secret. She fought for her success, battled addictions, and raised two remarkable children alone in spite of the legacy of shame. For a secret love child, the toughest battle was within. Just when she thought all was conquered, there was one final revelation….

Purchase your copy here.

Fiction

Return of the Heroine, by Kaye Michelle

RETURN OF THE HEROINE tells the story of Joan of Arc’s deeply spiritual journey with Archangel Michael and how they inspire a modern day woman, facing a very real problem, to heroic action. This is not your typical metaphysical novel. In it, you’ll find real human emotion, sexuality, inspired action, spiritual teachings, and come face to face with a real-life woman who could not only lead an army but converse with angels.

Purchase your copy here.

The Algebra of Snow, by Ginger Moran

This is a great winter read. Set in the Adirondacks in winter, Algebra is a novel of subtraction, with the main character–a mathematics professor–examining the layers of loss in her life and then emerging with the new growth of the spring. Perfect for anyone who loves lyric fiction, this book was nominated for a Pushcart Editor’s Choice Award. Purchase your copy here.

Ginger also coaches in fiction and memoir-writing. She has openings for January and February. Think about giving the gift of coaching for the holidays.

Poetry

Under One Roof: Poems, by Eric Pfeiffer

Sensitive, lyric poetry about all aspects of life. Authored by a physician-poet, the next William Carlos Williams. Purchase your copy here.